Having a gluten free Thanksgiving is a dream to most Celiac suffers. An array of food with no cross-contamination fears, no gluten in the stuffing, no gluten in the butter. But this is far from most people’s reality, so how do you get through a Thanksgiving meal without being glutened? This is how Julie and I handle Thanksgiving. The first year after Julie’s diagnosis, we went to Thanksgiving dinner without fully understanding what cross-contamination is. We analyzed the food and determined that only the bread was dangerous, because it was the only food that we knew surely contained gluten. But this was early after her diagnosis, only 4-5 months, so we weren’t overly concerned about the effects of cross-contamination either. Like most meals for her after her diagnosis, she didn’t feel great afterward and for some time after that. We would go through...

Be the voice of Celiac Awareness in your circle. Help by making an effort to understand, comfort and respect all allergy sufferers, but be an expert on Celiac Disease. Whether it is your family, friends, work colleagues, neighbors, or anyone else in your life, you cannot simply ignore the disease and hope that others will subliminally pick up on what ails you. And while there are literally thousands of blogs and informative articles on Celiac Disease, they are often overlooked by people outside of the gluten-free community. How do we help people outside of the community to understand the disease to the point where they fully grasp the damaging autoimmune reaction experienced by consuming gluten? Raise Celiac Awareness One of the largest hurdles in this quest is there are many people who don’t even know what gluten is. Maybe they understand that some people cannot have it, but...

The early warning signs of Celiac Disease are a mixed bag of ailments that do not necessarily point to any one concrete diagnosis. Most people that are diagnosed with Celiac have had test after test run, missed diagnosis, or even had their symptoms dismissed by a doctor as ‘normal aches and pains.’ For Julie, the signs were not obviously related to Celiac disease, nor were they even related to one another. From physical ailments to focus issues, there was always something that got in the way. Diet not working? One thing that stood out among her sisters was that her body type was different. She was slightly overweight for her height, but the weight on her hips was disproportionate to the weight everywhere else. It made her self-conscious about wearing bikinis and short shorts. She worked harder than most to keep the weight down and her strength up, but as she got older, it...

Independence Day has a special meaning to a lot of Americans. It’s the day our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, which itself was an incredibly brave endeavor. But that was after years of suppression by the king, who sought to punish the freedom-seeking colonials. He went so far as to block American trade ports and consider all American vessels ‘enemy vessels’. This was a very aggressive approach at a group of people that were considered rebels, misfits, and degenerates by the king. This left the people living in America subject to harsh conditions, fear and distrust for the king. But the outside world would argue that the line ‘All men are created equal’ had a mixed message coming from an America that tolerated slavery. Gluten Independence Day Contrasting the Declaration of Independence, an analogy can be drawn between the...

Food allergy compassion is a delicate subject to many who suffer from Celiac Disease or other autoimmune disorders. While the general public lives their lives relatively care-free when it comes to food consumption, someone with food allergies lives in constant fear of their next exposure. They know it will eventually happen, but will the circumstances be manageable? What if they are miles away from home in a strange town, or even out locally with acquaintances. The people you are with and the people who are serving you have varying levels of food allergy compassion, and you have to be confident and aware that you must control the situation. Scenario 1: Visiting Family Afar Imagine you are 2500 miles from the gluten-free oasis that is your kitchen. Your kitchen equipped with pots and pans that have never touched gluten, dedicated prep surfaces and care from your live-in family, this is...

We had the pleasure of attending a Celiac friendly wedding over the weekend. This was the first of it’s kind we’ve ever seen. The assortment of treats was great for a wedding – chocolate covered pretzels, nuts, gluten free cookies and cupcakes. The best part about it was that the gluten free table was on the far side of the hall, kept far away from the alternative gluten-laced treats. On top of that, they also had place cards with a gluten free designation for the Celiac guests. Our First Celiac Friendly Wedding Although we have only been to a handful of weddings since Julie’s Celiac diagnosis, we have yet to come across a party that actually caters to Celiac sufferers. It helped that a number of people on the groom’s side have Celiac Disease, so that certainly encouraged the hosts to provide something they could eat. The caterers seemed to understand the...

I waited some time to write an article about the Celiac sufferer’s spouse, mainly because I wanted more time to reflect on what to say after covering observations of others and the effects of Celiac on the body. Talking about Celiac Disease and how it affects your spouse is a delicate subject, and comes with a broad spectrum of emotion. From being overly protective of my wife to watching others around her like a hawk, Celiac changed the way I live with my spouse. I try to keep an eye on everyone and everything gluten, making sure that what she’s eating and what she’s near won’t make her sick. I get anxious, demanding and exhausted with others. I do everything I can to brighten her mood. But altogether, I am forever changed. Understanding Celiac Disease When we first learned of Celiac Disease, I admit, I was slow to realize the extent of the danger that...

Celiac Disease can have a serious impact on relationships in your life. Friendships are the most strained, since friends are often met at different times in your life under different circumstances. Your family will tell you things like, “we’ll always be there for you,” or “call me anytime you need to talk.” This is great for some people, but many need the connection with friends in their life to help them feel secure. Maintaining friendships after Celiac diagnosis is one of the more difficult challenges. Initially, your friends may say that they support you. They may tell you that others in their family or friends circle experience other auto-immune disorders, or even serious diseases like cancer. They may try to push you to do things that may seem dangerous to a Celiac sufferer, like attending a cookout or join them for a dinner out. Again, these may be...